16 Apr 2017

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has hailed one of the Reds' most maligned players for his match-winning performance against West Brom today.

After his heroics against Stoke last week, Simon Mignolet made another crucial save from Matt Phillips today, and after the game, Carra raved:

"Mignolet has saved Liverpool two points today. I've been critical of him, but the last couple of games, he has made a big difference to getting Liverpool to where they are, and all credit to him."

Mignolet has certainly stepped up his game, and he's looked more assured in the box of late, but to be fair, he's only doing what a 'top-class' keeper should be doing.

This is the level a top 'keeper should consistently be achieving 80% of the time, but when Mignolet plays well, it's the exception rather than the rule, so comparatively speaking, his performances appear to be 'outstanding'.

As illustrated in a recent article, though, Mignolet - in terms of minutes-per-goal conceded - is nowhere near the level of Europe's best goalkeepers, and even ex-Red Brad Jones is outperforming him this season.

It's a mistake to get carried away with Mignolet's recent form; to get an accurate assessment, it's necessary to analyse his whole Anfield career, and taken as a whole, his record is merely passable.

In my view, Mignolet still needs to be replaced this summer, but I suspect that Jurgen Klopp will make the same mistake as Brendan Rodgers, and keep the Belgian as Liverpool's number one.